It took me more than 3 hours to compile all the channels that the following TV service providers offer: DirecTV, Dish Network, Comcast, and Cox. While I was looking at the channel lineups, I noticed something. Both DirecTV and Dish Network provided clear and easy-to-understand channel guide while Comcast and Cox provided just a long list of channels they provide on a single list. I did my best to count the channels, but you will see some mistakes. And the channels will change overtime, I believe. So let's take a look at the channels they provide.
Basic TV Package Channel Comparisons (as of December 2009) |
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| TV Providers | Package Name | Advertised Channels | HD | Counted Channels | Music Channels |
| Dish Network | Bronze 100 | 120+ | 31 (Excluding local channels) | 89 (Excluding local channels 2 - 70) |
32 |
| DirecTV | The Choice | 150+ | 37 (Excluding local channels) | 104 (Excluding local channels 2 - 69) | 47 |
| Comcast | Digital Starter | 80+ | NA | NA | 45 |
| COX | Advanced TV Preferred | 172+ | NA | NA | NA |
Regular TV Package Channel Comparisons (as of December 2009) |
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| TV Providers | Package Name | Advertised Channels | HD | Counted Channels | Music Channels |
| Dish Network | Silver 200 | 220+ | 45 (Excluding local channels) | 128 (Excluding local channels 2 - 70) |
87 |
| DirecTV | The Choice Xtra | 200+ | 48 (Excluding local channels) | 138 (Excluding local channels 2 - 69) | 62 |
| Comcast | Digital Preferred | 100+ | NA | NA | 45 |
| COX | Advanced TV Premier | 201+ | NA | NA | NA |
Advanced TV Package Channel Comparisons (as of December 2009) |
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| TV Providers | Package Name | Advertised Channels | HD | Counted Channels | Music Channels |
| Dish Network | Gold 250 | 260+ | 54 (Excluding local channels) | 168 (Excluding local channels 2 - 70) |
106 |
| DirecTV | The Premier | 265+ | 94 (Excluding local channels) | 211 (Excluding local channels 2 - 69) | 62 |
| Comcast | Digital Preferred | 200+ | NA | NA | 45 |
| COX | Advanced TV Ultimate | 225+ | NA | NA | NA |
Special TV Package Channel Comparisons (as of December 2009) |
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| TV Providers | Package Name | Advertised Channels | |||
| Dish Network | DishFamily | 50 | |||
| Dish Network | America's Everything Pak | 290+ | |||
| DirecTV | Family | 50 | |||
Sorry about the "NA"s in the table above. I just couldn't get those information off of the websites. There is more data on channels, but I won't post them here since those are all extra features you can add on later.
Overall, Comcast, a cable TV provider offers the least channels among these four. Dish Network, DirecTV, and COX provide about the same number of channels for the middle package. And lastly, both DirecTV and Dish Network (both satellite TV providers) provide the most number of channels for their advanced package deals.
If you are simply looking for the higest number of channels for your TV service, you'd want to go with either Dish Network or DirecTV. Dish Network's "America's Everything Pak" has over 290 channels.
For my family, there is no need for 300 channels. We have a child and a wife who loves house projects and crafting. So we know which channels we want in our household.
Now, I have to look at the prices next. So far, just looking at the channels, I might go with either DirecTV's "The Choice Xtra" or Dish Network's "Silver 200".
Let's check the prices now.
